WW South defeats defending champion
For the first two minutes East St. Louis made it look easy.
Then Wheaton Warrenville South showed why high school football is a 48-minute game.
The Tigers scored 34 straight points to pound defending state champion East St. Louis 34-15 in Saturday's Class 7A semifinals in Wheaton.
Seeking its sixth state championship, WW South (12-1) will play in its ninth title game at 4 p.m. Saturday in Champaign. The Tigers face Glenbard West (13-0), a three-time finalist and 5A champion in 1983, in a showdown between traditional DuPage County powers.
"Going back to state is really going to be unbelievable," said Tigers offensive lineman Rocco Ammons. "To get the opportunity to go down there with a chance to win it is just incredible."
Incredible was a word used quite a bit Saturday at Grange Field.
East St. Louis running back Courtney Molton started the game with five straight runs, easing 80 yards down the field for a touchdown on a 15-yard scamper. Less than two minutes into the game, it looked like it might be a long day for the Tigers.
"We were a little intimidated, I'll admit," said WW South defensive lineman Matt Ives. "We realized we had to pull it together or this was going to be our last chance to play."
A slight line adjustment settled down the defense, and the offense took what it was given for the next three-plus quarters. Nick Immekus put the Tigers right back in the game with a pair of first-quarter field goals and Julian Banuelos added a 3-yard second-quarter touchdown run to give WW South a 13-7 halftime lead.
The Tigers forced three turnovers in the second half to offset a 185-yard rushing game by Molton and a 403-308 yardage advantage for East St. Louis (10-3).
Early in the third quarter Ives hit Flyers quarterback Detchauz Wray to force the ball loose, and Tyler Becker snared it to set up the Tigers' next score - a 3-yard run by quarterback Reilly O'Toole.
"They're a fast, huge team and we didn't come out to play that first drive," Becker said. "We made some adjustments, came back strong and played Tiger football."
A tipped pass allowed Mike Heaton to grab the second interception, leading to O'Toole's 1-yard sneak at the start of the fourth quarter and a 27-7 lead.
Zack Ackerman tracked down the third interception, and O'Toole, who completed 13 of 17 passes for 195 yards, took advantage by firing a 58-yard pass to Steve Kmiotek. Banuelos scored from 5 yards out on the next play to give the Tigers a commanding 34-7 lead with 9 minutes, 47 seconds left.
Saturday's game marked the second time in three years WW South beat East St. Louis in the 7A semifinals. Now the Tigers face Glenbard West with a shot at history.
"When the brackets came out we were all excited because we knew we were going to have a tough road," O'Toole said. "Making it this far really makes it that much more satisfying."